The International Fresh Produce Association is applauding Senator Sherrod Brown (OH) and Reps. David Valadao (CA-22) and Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) for introducing the Fresh Produce Procurement Reform Act. The legislation will give the U.S. Department of Agriculture  tools to diversify the produce supply chain that provides fresh fruits and vegetables to food banks and other nonprofits that serve the nutrition insecure. This is one of 15 bills that have been introduced in Congress related to the 2018 farm bill reauthorization that has the support of the International Fresh Produce Association and the

Hy-Vee Inc. will host its Best of Local Brands Summit in November to expand and enhance the product offerings at its more than 285 retail stores in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Since the Best of Local Brands summits began in early 2021, more than 125 new brands have been selected and are available to Hy-Vee customers.

This year, Hy-Vee continues to elevate its efforts of identifying suppliers with diverse backgrounds and encourages minority-owned and women-owned businesses to apply for the quarterly summits.

The summit will consist of 15

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has imposed sanctions on Burbano Corp., d.b.a. CasaBella Farms Corp. (Burbano), in Miramar, FL, for violating the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act. These sanctions include barring the business and the principal operators of the business from engaging in PACA-licensed business or other activities without approval from USDA.

Burbano failed to pay $385,084 to four sellers for produce that was purchased, received and accepted in interstate and foreign commerce from March 2020 to September 2021. This is in violation of the PACA. Burbano cannot operate in

David Frank Sobey, chair emeritus of Sobeys Inc. and an instrumental figure in the retailer's growth, died Sept. 18. He was 92 years old.

"David was a great grocer, a great retailer and a great businessman who was instrumental in guiding the phenomenal growth of Sobeys from a regional grocery chain, built by his father, into a national food retailing and distribution business that today serves millions of Canadians on a weekly basis," said Jim Dickson, chair, Empire Co. Ltd. "David was unfailingly generous with his time, energy and personal resources and never stopped advocating for the

In a landmark move for sustainable agriculture, BrightFarms is teaming up with Element Farms to set a new standard for indoor-grown produce in the Northeast. Both trailblazers in sustainable, controlled environment agriculture, this mutually beneficial partnership allows BrightFarms to distribute Element Farms' indoor-grown spinach throughout the Northeast under the BrightFarms brand, further satisfying the strong consumer demand for high-quality, locally grown spinach.

“This partnership with Element Farms is an important step forward for BrightFarms. We will continue to be leaders in CEA

Thomas Jefferson tried to start a wine company, a banana empire owned the world's largest private navy and a 19th century food spy smuggled citrons from Italy into the U.S. These are not fictional stories but real historical events that you can expect to hear about when you tune into The History of Fresh Produce podcast series hosted by Patrick Kelly and John Paap.

Launched earlier this year on The Produce Industry Podcast, the series explores the fascinating and often overlooked history of fresh fruits and vegetables, providing listeners with a unique perspective on the role of produce in